Sunday 01/11/2009

WOD: Revolution
25-minute spin, followed by:
10-20-30-20-10 reps of:
American KB Swing (16 kg)
KB Flip Squat
KB Figure 8 Upper Cut

Time: 14:42

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Article of the Day:
My mom knows I'm enamored with all things CrossFitty, and she called my attention to an article in Saturday's Straits Times (the leading Singapore daily) about boot-camp style workouts being the new fitness craze in Singapore. Interesting.

Jan 10, 2009
FITNESS

Army craze: More ways to get fit in the new year as military-style workouts top the list

By Jeanette Wang

IF GETTING fit is on your resolution list for this new year, boot camp-style workouts may just be the kick in the butt that you need.
The military-inspired classes are set to remain the top fitness trend in 2009, according to results of an annual survey of fitness professionals worldwide done by the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

ACE is one of the world's largest fitness certification, education and training organisations.

Dance-based classes, budget-friendly workouts and kettlebells (weights that resemble cannonballs) also featured among this year's top 10 fitness trends that ACE announced last month.

'The over-arching theme for fitness in 2009 is getting more bang for the buck,' says ACE's chief science officer Cedric X. Bryant. 'Consumers will engage in workouts that provide multiple benefits due to time and economic limitations.'

No wonder boot camp-style workouts, the top fitness trend last year, will continue to be wildly popular in 2009.

Classes are typically held outdoor and involve simple total-body conditioning exercises inspired by those used to whip army recruits into shape - like push-ups, squats, kicks, punches and sprints.

Compared to personal training, these hour-long or longer boot camps are usually more affordable and motivational, as participants exercise together.

According to an ACE study, a typical boot camp workout burns an average of 600 calories per hour, with participants working at an average 77 per cent of their maximum heart rate, which encourages weight loss and enhances cardio-respiratory endurance.

'Boot camp is very exciting and interesting because there is variation in the exercises,' said Hisham Musa, 32, master trainer of fitnessbootcamp.sg.

He also includes aerobics, kickboxing and pilates in his sessions.

'Participants work as a team, and motivate and push each other to do the exercises,' he says.

Some 20 to 30 people attend each of Hisham's four classes weekly. They are held at East Coast Park, Bishan, Woodlands and Tampines. Each session costs $50, relatively cheaper than the $80 or more personal trainers command.

One of his clients, a 42-year-old woman, went from 110kg to 70kg in five months by doing boot camps and cardio (both in a class and on her own) five times a week.

Real Fitness boot camps, led by fitness trainer and top Singapore marathoner Anne Date, costs as little as $500 for eight weeks of thrice weekly classes. The fee works out to less than $21 per session.

'The people who come regularly really change,' said Date, 28, who conducts her classes at Kent Ridge Park. 'They look and feel different. They tell me they sleep better, run better and feel lighter.'

If boot camps are not your thing, there are other trends this year that could also stretch your fitness and dollar.

Try functional training with Bosu balls, working on your core strength and stability with kettlebells or simply head out for a game of basketball or a jog (see box for more ideas).

This Ox year certainly looks set to be a bullish one for fitness.